Parenting conference comes to OMHS

Walt Muller will be the guest speaker at the Feb. 3 conference at Oak Mountain High School.

This month, three area churches are joining together for the Birmingham Parenting Collective — a one-day conference for parents of students of all ages.

The conference, which will take place at Oak Mountain High School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 3, includes guest speaker Walt Muller, president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.

CPYU is a nonprofit, faith-based organization that aims to build strong families by bridging the cultural and generational gap between parents and teenagers, according to its website.

Muller has 35 years of experience working with teens and their parents, according to the site, and will give a keynote speech and participate in a Q&A session at the conference.

“I’ll walk you through how kids are growing up developmentally, how the culture is shaping them,” Muller said in a video promoting the Birmingham Parenting Collective. “We’ll look at all sorts of cultural forces, and then we’ll look at biblically-centered responses that are hope-filled and very practical to help you guide your kids through the culture to life to the glory of God.”

The seminar is open to “anybody who cares about and works with kids,” no matter their age, Muller said. It will include three sessions, called “Know Your Teen”, “Know Their World” and “Know Your Role”, which will cover information about how teens grow, develop and change; what are major cultural forces in today’s world; and guidance on how to increase parental influence and lead kids into adulthood, respectively.

The event is sponsored by Asbury United Methodist Church, Double Oak Community Church and Meadow Brook Baptist Church. It is $20 for one parent and $30 per couple, which includes lunch. Parents will also receive informational material to take home following the conference.